His knee-high black boots crunched twigs as he walked alongside others. A British flag waved nearby. Shots fired. Canons blasted. Vincett didn’t mind dying playing the role of a British soldier Saturday afternoon.

“I’ve been a re-enactor since 1978. I love sharing history with people. You can always learn from your history,” he said.

The Rockingham resident joined a handful of fellow British and Americans during a reenactment of The Battle of Kings Mountain Saturday. The battle was part of the 10th Annual Kings Mountain Gateway Festival. The festival drew thousands of visitors who relaxed to the tunes of bluegrass music and watched how colonials lived hundreds of years ago.

Adults and children mingled with actors layered in colonial garments. One man melted lead in a small pot. He made .50 caliber rifle bullets. Elizabeth Nicholson, from Kings Mountain, watched with her two daughters, ages 2 and 6.

“This is our first time seeing this. It’s a beautiful day to learn about history,” she said.

Kings Mountain Mayor Rick Murphrey said the festival garnered a few thousand visitors before day’s end. Children rode in an antique fire truck, and visitors sampled tasty treats from local vendors. Saturday was a time for families to have fun in the gateway city.

“This is something where we combine the celebration of the battle and celebrating us as a gateway city,” he said. “It brings a lot of interest. We’ll celebrate it next year.”